Hurricane Ernesto (2012)

Basin

North Atlantic

Dates

August 1, 2012 to August 10, 2012

Peak strength

Category 2, 85 kt (98 mph)

Lowest pressure

973 mb (28.73 inHg)

Landfall

Yes

Accumulated cyclone energy

8.5

Tropical-storm-force wind reached

140 nmi (259 km, 161 mi) from the center at its widest

Hurricane-force wind reached

30 nmi (56 km, 35 mi) from the center at its widest

Eyewall radius at its peak

10 nmi (19 km, 12 mi)

Overall size

200 nmi (370 km, 230 mi) to the outermost closed isobar

Peak gust in the best track

90 kt (104 mph)

Fastest the center moved

23 kt (26 mph)

Identifier

AL052012

The sources count different things and are not added together.

Landfall points the US agencies flagged in the best track. The nearest town is named from the site’s gazetteer, not from the report.

NOAA’s Storm Events database, the record National Weather Service offices compile months after a storm, as compiled March 2026.

Deaths

0 (0 direct, 0 indirect)

Injuries

0

Property damage

none recorded

Crop damage

none recorded

Events recorded

8 in 2 reports from 2 states and marine areas

State by state

What was recorded

3 marine thunderstorm wind, 3 heavy rain, 1 flood, 1 flash flood.

The strongest winds National Weather Service offices recorded with this storm. An estimated figure is a forecaster’s judgment from the damage, not an instrument reading.

From the Storm Events narratives, unedited.

Two stranded vehicles, with people inside, on road PR-123 due to flood waters from a small stream that went out of its banks and flooded the road.

Ponce, Puerto Rico · Flash Flood · Aug 4, 23:35 UTC

Heavy Rain caused a mudslide on road PR-2 right next to Las Cucharas sector. One person inside a vehicle was reported to be stranded.

Ponce, Puerto Rico · Heavy Rain · Aug 5, 00:00 UTC

• Tropical Storm AlbertoNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm50 kt · 995 mb
• Tropical Storm BerylNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm60 kt · 992 mb
• Hurricane ChrisNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 175 kt · 974 mb
• Tropical Storm DebbyNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm55 kt · 990 mb
• Tropical Storm FlorenceNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm50 kt · 1002 mb
• Tropical Storm HeleneNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm40 kt · 1004 mb
• Hurricane GordonNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 295 kt · 965 mb
• Hurricane IsaacNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 170 kt · 965 mb
• Tropical Storm JoyceNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm35 kt · 1006 mb
• Hurricane LeslieNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 170 kt · 968 mb
• Hurricane KirkNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 290 kt · 970 mb
• Hurricane MichaelNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 3100 kt · 964 mb
• Hurricane NadineNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 180 kt · 978 mb
• Tropical Storm OscarNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm45 kt · 994 mb
• Tropical Storm PattyNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm40 kt · 1005 mb
• Hurricane RafaelNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 180 kt · 966 mb
• Hurricane SandyNorth Atlantic · 2012 · 254 deaths · $69 billionCat 3100 kt · 940 mb
• Tropical Storm TonyNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm45 kt · 1000 mb

A best track is the record a warning agency settles on after the storm, not what it said at the time: position, maximum sustained wind and central pressure every six hours, revised against every observation that came in later. Category is the Saffir-Simpson scale, which runs from Category 1 at 64 kt to Category 5 at 137 kt and reads wind only, so it says nothing about surge or rain. Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the square of the wind through the storm's life, so it counts strength and duration together.

Storm history from NOAA NCEI’s International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS), which merges the official best track of every warning agency. Live storms, cones, watches and warnings from the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Archived radar from NOAA’s Level II archive.

• Tropical cyclone report, National Hurricane Center
• Every advisory and discussion NHC issued while it was live
• Best track as KMZ, National Hurricane Center
• Wikipedia article: Hurricane Ernesto